


Promised Land

by viceprincipalpanch



Category: Book of Mormon -- Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Gen, Salt Lake City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 09:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceprincipalpanch/pseuds/viceprincipalpanch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Salt Lake City isn’t Sal Tlay Ka Siti, but it’s pretty close.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promised Land

Her first impression, when Arnold "gingerly" shakes her awake, is not what she was expecting at all.

There's a lot less white than she would have imagined-- well, as long as you weren't counting the people. She's never seen so many white men and women in her life, and, ankles a bit wobbly from the lack of movement for the past few hours, Arnold doesn't seem to notice her staring around in awe.

Because really, an expanse of grey concrete is  _almost_  like flawless white marble.

The rest of the airport is sort of a blur as she walked down the concourse, into the international terminal-- suddenly, a whole new world opens up in front of her and she feels a bit sick, in the most exciting way. Clinging to Arnold, she peers around with wide eyes at the magnificent place.

" _Oh_ , look at all the  _Mormons!_ " She claps a few times before she grabs one hand each of the boys who have escorted her from her home so far, far away and squeezes tightly. "This is so  _exciting!_  Do you think they will like me? I-- I mean, _you_  Mormons have all been so  _nice_ \-- oh, my  _gosh_ , Sal Tlay Ka Siti!"

" _Salt. Lake. City,_ " Kevin articulates sternly, an awkward smile still on his lips. "Salt Lake City. Three different words, not-- not  _four!_ " He laughs and frees his hand, patting her shoulder and gripping it for just a moment before both his arms are stiff at his sides-- she's reminded of those trays in the plane. Locked and in the upright position.

She doesn't even notice how sweaty both their palms are, though, because she's colder than she's ever been before in the chill of the airport air conditioning, cranked up high because it's the middle of summer. She moves to hug onto Cunningham's arm again, and he gladly obliges her, his free hand playing with her curls for a moment as he always does.

Casting her eyes up at him, loving with a hint of lust, she grins and gives him a kiss, full on the mouth in front of hundreds -- maybe  _thousands!_  -- of people who she doesn't even know. It lasts longer than she expected, and it's a bit wetter than anticipated (an occupational hazard when one is dating Arnold Cunningham,) but it's beautiful and perfect and she can only imagine how much  _better_  it'll be when she's  _really_  in the most amazing place on Earth, and not just its airport.

But right now, Kevin is clearing his throat and adjusting his tie uncomfortably-- he may have  _officially_ changed out of his uniform, but that just consisted of putting on a pale blue button-down instead of a pure white one. "Uh, we should get going." He stands stiffly by, and she can't help but wonder if he's as cold as she is.

"Okay! Where is it we are going?"

Kevin blinks. "Uh. Well,  _I'm_  probably going back to Ogden." When she doesn't respond except by furrowing her brow (and her boyfriend makes the same motion, though his mouth is also hanging open,) he elaborates-- "With my  _family_. Y'know. Just...before I get  _started_  on life!"

"Wait, I-I thought we were gonna live here from now on?" Arnold's thick hands are unsure of where they should be, one of them pulling absently at the fabric of Nabulungi's dress. "Like...we were gonna tell our  _parents_  that! Right?"

The pause is long and awkward, but she doesn't notice-- she's already running down the halls, staring at the walls as she moves. Paintings, pictures, beautiful, behind glass, lining the walls-- it's astonishing, and she bumps into enough people on her way past them that she's becoming a bit of a nuisance. They finally catch up to her as she stands in front of a little sculpture, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Panting, out of breath, Arnold leans against her heavily-- she almost tips over, though she just chuckles and hugs onto him again. Kevin, though, is a little bit less joyful, his face drawn with a far deeper exhaustion. " _Nabulungi_ , you have to be more  _careful!_  There are other people  _here_ , y'know--"

"I like this one. Do-- do you have art like this all  _over_  Sal Tlay Ka Siti?" She grins, reaching out to touch it-- without thinking, Price smacks her hand away, far harder than he should have, maybe.

"Oh,  _gosh_ \-- N-Nabulungi, I'm  _sorry_ \--  _ow_ , hey!"

The smack returned, she frowns at him and crosses her arms. "What was  _that_  for?"

"It's-- y-you hit me!"

Suddenly frantic, a high laugh pierces the air as Arnold takes their hands and presses them together. " _Nabulungi,_ uhnh, y-you just-- can't-- touch stuff like that! Yeah, um, it's  _special_  art-- like-- like, uh--"

"Like your dolls?"

" _Action figures_ , and, uhnh, uh, yeah...?" He barks out a laugh before he hugs her, crushing her against his soft chest, and then turns quickly to let Kevin in on it (reluctant at first, he eventually wraps his arms around both of them.)

People are staring at them-- people she doesn't  _know_ , and a thrill runs through the girl as she squirms out of their arms and looks out off the balcony upon which she stands. " _Oh!_  We-- we're  _here_ , I still can't  _believe_  it!"

"N-Nabulungi," Price starts, sharing a look with his companion (though now, he supposes, they're just friends,) "we're only here for a  _little_  while. You're gonna go home with  _Arnold_ to-- to  _Arizona_ , and then I'm going back to Ogden! It's just-- not...possible."

Blink. Blink. She  _thinks_  her heart is still beating. "Wh-- What do you  _mean?_ "

"I  _mean_ , we can't just go around willy-nilly, okay? I'm sorry we got it in your head again that-- that we were here for  _anything_  but  _business_."

" _Business_ , but what is that--"

"I  _mean_ ," he says, taking her shoulders and smiling down at her, "that we're only here until we get our bags and find our families. Your-- your  _new_  family, I guess. My parents--  _eh-heh_. Yeah. I'm going to stay there for...for a  _bit_ , and then,  _hey_ , who knows? Maybe I'll come down to visit you guys in Thatcher!"

"Uhhn, b-but Elder-- uh, I mean,  _Kevin_ , I-I don't--  _hehnh_ , I--" The bespectacled boy looked quickly back and forth between the two-- " _I never told my parents_ \--"

" _Arnold_ \--!"

But she leaves them before the fighting gets any worse, hurrying down the steps-- steps that  _move_ , she realizes, frightened and awed at the same time-- to the ground floor. Everything can still be perfect. Everything is still so unreal. She's five miles northwest of Sal Tlay Ka Siti, she discovers as she leafs through a brochure she finds at one of the huge, expansive desks, so there's still hope.

Still so much hope.

\--

Arnold still isn't talking much-- she's a little bit afraid that he's actually dead, animated by something far beyond her knowledge as he lumbers along beside the two of them, down the street. They only had enough money for cab fare into town, so, stranded as they are, they pad the pavement.

Still, though, the edge of sunlight in her soul pushes through and Nabulungi can't help but stare about--  _she_  hasn't been able to  _stop_  jabbering ever since they left families and futures behind in the shining-glass walls of the airport.

" _Look_  at all of the-- it is just so  _clean_  here! There are  _roads,_ and the sidewalks, and-- okay, so  _maybe_  it is not as  _golden_ , but, um-- ooh, what is a  _Sprint_ , Elder Price?"

" _Kevin_ , call me  _Kevin_ , just-- just call me  _Kevin_!" He repeats it a few more times, almost like a mantra as he drags his luggage behind him. " _Kevin_  is my name, I'm-- I'm not an  _Elder_  anymore,  _okay?_  Now just-- just  _talk to Arnold!_ " There is sweat beading his brow, his hair slowly beginning to shift out of place _,_ and he mumbles under his breath as they speed up.

"Um." Nabulungi wraps her thin arms around one of her boyfriend's-- no reaction. Her hand slips down to his-- still, nothing. " _Arnold_ , I am--  _excited!_  This is all so _new_  and-- and  _amazing_ , oh-- d-don't you think?"

She's just a little worried when he turns his head towards her and his face seems almost like it's caving in on itself, and he starts to shake. Glancing about -- perfect, wide streets, gleaming storefronts, and so much  _food --_ she tries to smile and hold him close and tell him all the stories he's shared with  _her_  about the most beautiful place in the world, the place they're walking through. It's just another step on the journey, just another trial, before they're fully ready, and she wants to tell him that.

Instead, she just leans her head on his shoulder and kisses his arm, wide eyes staring around as they trudge through the streets.


End file.
